Method of continuous seaming of pile floor coverings



April 5, 1955 A. T. DILDILIAN ETAL METHOD OF CONTINUOUS SEAMING OF FILE FLOOR COVERIN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 10 Ara 7. .17/701/1'0/7 Armefl; M M/ooa NGS April 5, 1955 A. T. DILDILIAN ET AL METHOD OF CONTINUOUS SEAMING OF PILE FLOOR COVERI 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 10 1948 EwEEEEE AF iiaaiaasaiajssiwv nited States Patent METHOD OF CONTINUOUS SEAMING OF PILE FLOOR COVERINGS Original application July 10, 1948, Serial No. 38,044. Divided and this application August 5, 1950, Serial No. 177,846

6 Claims. or. 154-416 This invention relates to seaming of pile floor coverings and in particular to a continuous method of automatically joining two pieces of pile floor covering on the side opposite to the pile face thereof along the seam formed by the abutting edges of said pieces.

Heretofore, the seaming of pile floor coverings has been done by hand. The pieces to be joined are usually spread on a floor or similar flat expanse, pile face down. The edges are matched and then tacked to the floor to hold them firmly against one another while adhesive, tape, heat and pressure are applied to the seam which is then allowed to set. Subsequently the joined fabric is removed from the floor.

One object of this invention is to eliminate or minimize manual operation in seaming pile floor covermgs.

Another object is to lay two pieces of said cOVeIing so that their abutting edges are continuously and automatically matched and held firmly together during the seaming operation.

A further object is to continuously and automatically apply the adhesive, tape and heating device to the seam of the two pieces of floor covering.

A still further object is to automatically provide enough, but a minimum amount, of time to allow the seam to set.

A further object is to remove the finished product continuously from the seaming mechanism.

Another object is to join two pieces of pile floor covering together by seaming faster, more accurately and more economically than heretofore.

A feature of this invention is an endless spiked conveyor-belt adapted to uniformly travel alignment and abutment two pieces of ing, pile face down and with their adjacent edges abut ting one another, to and past various seaming mechanisms hereinafter described. The belt also permits pressure on the backs of the pieces without crushing the pile and allows solvent and water vapors in the pieces to be exhausted through the pile face without injurious effects, such as pile discoloration.

Other objects and features will appear from the fol lowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 1s a side view of the apparatus by which our invention may be practiced,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detailed side view of part of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale.

Two pieces of pile floor covering are drawn, one from roll and the other from roll 12, Figs. 1 and 2. The piece from roll 10 travels over idler roll 14, under spiked brake roll 16 and idler roll 18, and over idler roll 20. The piece from roll 12 passes over idler roll 22, under spiked brake r011 24 and over the idler roll 20, which unlike the other rolls engages both pieces of floor covering which pass thereover in nearly edge-abutting position onto table 26, which is supported by vertical members 28 and 30 and is Wide enough to accommodate the combined Widths of both pieces. The table has therein longitudinal shallow trough 32, Figs. 3 and 5.

with and hold inpile floor cover- .1.

2,705,693 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 Travelling longitudinally within the trough and supported upon the bottom thereof is spiked conveyor-belt 34, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which passes between and around pulleys 36 and 8.

floor coverings is adjustable temple roll 44 having its axis set at an angle and formed from a series of free moving spiked discs, Fig. 4, graduated in size. As these spiked discs ride on the back of one of the pieces, they force the edge of the latter into firm abutting relationship with the edge of the other piece.

The edge portions of the pieces next pass onto the belt 34 and under the pressure bar 46, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which forces the pile surface of the pieces onto the spikes on said belt. The pulley 36 which is preferably directly beneath the bar 46 is crowned, Fig. 4, thereby spreading the spikes on the belt so that they penetrate the pile surfaces at a diverging angle. After passing over the pulley 36, the belt levels out, causing the spikes of the belt to 38, tightly edge-abutting relationship by the temple roll 44 along or a6dditional temple rolls between the blade 40 and t e ar 4 of pipe 56, air hose 58, air control valve 60, air pressure gauge 62, regulator valve 64 and safety valve 66.

A roll of seaming tape 68, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is sus pended in a slotted fixture. The tape is fed to the adhesive coated portions of the pieces at a point directly under weighted roll of inert masking material 70, such as cellophane, aluminum foil or the like, held in a fixture which pjermits the roll to turn and move in a vertical plane but prevents lateral movement thereof.

Instead of the above adhesive applicator and tape, a

adhesive and tape.

After the tape has been applied to the backing structure and after the masking material is placed over the tape, the pieces iron 72, Figs. 1 and Then by he masking material, and finally lowered down in its complete the cycle. The associated parts of the heating iron consist of supporting arms 74, Figs. 1, 3 and 5. pivotally connected to lever arm 76, Fig. 5, to which two vertical carriage side plates 78 and 80 are bolted. The side plates support two pairs of grooved rollers 82 and 84, the former under and the latter over track 86 which supports the iron and its associated parts. Lever 9%) extending from plate 80 and may be operated by hand or by Other heating means, of

course, lend themselves to use in this apparatus, such as, for instance, a series of irons in an endless circular arrangement.

The sides of the trough 32, Fig. the length of the iron dwell by holes 92 and 94. Air is sucked through the holes 92 across the pile face of the floor coverings through the holes 94 into exhaust hood 96, down exhaust pipe 98 and is discharged by exhaust fan 100, Fig. 1.

Positioned beyond the forwardmost position reached by the iron is cylinder 102, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, around which is wrapped an end of the masking material and upon which the masking material is rolled, as the joined pieces pass by this point, to remove the masking material from the tape. When the cylinder has accumulated a suflicient amount of masking material, it may be removed and replaced by an empty one.

The joined pieces then proceed under spiked drive roll 104, Fig. 1, over idler rolls 106 and 108 and onto a pair of power driven rolls 110 and 112 which roll up the covering into a roll of any desired diameter.

There is no matching problem in joining solid colored fabrics, but when joining patterned fabrics, index marks, previously woven into the back of the edges of two abutting pieces at corresponding points in the pattern, are brought into alignment, as hereinafter described, so that the pattern of one piece will be perfectly matched with the pattern on the other piece.

In order to match the two adjacent edges of two patterned pieces of floor covering as they are first laid upon the table, two brake drums 114 and 116, Fig. 1, are attached to the spiked brake rolls 16 and 24, respectively. Passing under and partially around the drum 114 is brake band 115 fixed at one end and at the other end attached to one end of pivoted lever 120. To the other end of said lever is attached wire cable 122 which passes therefrom down around pulleys 124 and 126 and up to brake lever 128. Passing under and partially around the drum 116 is brake band 130 fixed at one end and at the other end attached to one end of pivoted lever 132. To the other end of said lever is attached wire cable 134 which passes therefrom down around pulleys 136 and 138, across the pulley 140 and then up to brake lever 142. Both brake levers 128 and 142 are pivoted on bar 144 and have handles at their ends opposite to those to which the wire cables 122 and 134 are attached to manipulate the brake bands 115 and 130, respectively.

In operation the two 5, are perforated pieces of floor covering are drawn under tension from sources of supply around idler and brake rolls onto the table pile face down so that their adjacent edges are substantially or nearly abutting each other. The edges of patterned fabrics are matched by increasing or relaxing tension in either one of the pieces in relation to the other. Pile tufts are cleared from the edges which are then brought into tightly abutting relationship. The abutting edge portions of the two pieces are engaged by the spiked belt travelling in the trough in the table and carried under the adhesive dispenser which deposits adhesive upon the seam and edge portions of the pieces in a strip as wide as the seaming tape which is placed over the adhesive coated edge portions. A strip of masking material to keep the adhesive from sticking to and building up on the heating iron is placed over the tape. The heating iron is lowered upon the masking material and is carried along thereupon by the moving pieces and then is lifted to be retracted to engage another successive section of taped fabric. The masking material is removed from the tape as the joined fabric passes beyond the iron dwell. Finally the joined fabric is removed from the table.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 38,044 filed July 10, 1948, now Patent No. 2,589,929.

We claim:

1. The method of uniting two separate pieces of carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adjacent each other, during the travel of said pieces continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the edges toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of the pieces adjacent said edges, thereafter uniting said traveling separate pieces by continuously applying an adhesive and a seaming tape to the backs of said pieces over said edges and applying heat and to said tape, and continuously advancing the pressure direction generally parallel to said united pieces in a edges.

2. The method of uniting two separate pieces of similarly patterned carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adjacent each other, during the travel of said pieces matching the pattern at said edges by varying the tension in one of said pieces in relation to the tension in the other of said pieces, continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the edges toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of the pieces adjacent said edges, thereafter uniting said traveling separate pieces at said station by continuously applying an adhesive and a seaming tape to the backs of said pieces over said edges and applying heat and pressure to said tape, and continuously advancing the united pieces in a direction generally parallel to said edges.

3. The method of uniting two separate pieces of carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adjacent each other, during the travel of said pieces continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the edges toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of the pieces adjacent said edges, thereafter uniting said traveling separate pieces by continuously applying an adhesive and a seaming tape to the backs of said pieces over said edges and applying heat and pressure to said tape, continuously advancing the united pieces in a direction generally parallel to said edges, and during said advance of the united pieces flowing air across their pile face at said edges.

4. The method of uniting two separate pieces of similarly patterned carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adjacent each other, during the travel of said pieces matching the pattern at said edges by varying the tension in one of said pieces in relation to the tension in the other of said pieces, continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the edges toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of the pieces adjacent said edges, thereafter uniting said traveling sepparate pieces by continuously applying an adhesive and a seaming tape to the backs of said pieces over said edges and applying heat and pressure to said tape, continuously advancing the united pieces in a direction generally parallel to said edges, and during said advance of the united pieces flowing air across their pile face at said edges.

5. The method of uniting two separate pieces of sirnilarly patterned carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adiacent each other, during the travel of said pieces matching the pattern at said edges by varying the tension in one of said pieces in relation to the tension in the other of said pieces, continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the ed es toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of the pieces adjacent said edges, thereafter uniting said traveling separate pieces by continuously applying an adhesive and a seaming tape to the backs of said pieces over said edges, overlaying a masking tape on said seaming tape and applying heat and pressure to said masking tape, continuously advancing the united pieces in a direction generally parallel to said edges, and during said advance of the united pieces continuously removing said masking ape.

6. The method of uniting two separate pieces of similarly patterned carpeting having substantially straight edges to be joined which comprises continuously moving each of the pieces with said edges adjacent each other, during the travel of said pieces matching the pattern at said edges by varying the tension in one of said pieces in relation to the tension in the other of said pieces, continuously wiping said edges to clear pile from between them, relatively moving the edges toward each other transversely of their direction of travel to bring them into tightly abutting relation, aligning the faces of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS Terry Apr. 27, 1915 Chance Jan. 26, 1932 Dildilian July 23, 1940 Dow et a]. Oct. 8, 1946 Gray Nov. 30, 1948 Dildilian Sept. 26, 1950 Masland Oct. 3 ,1950

MacCaffray, Jr. Oct. 10, 1950 

1. THE METHOD OF UNITING TWO SEPARTE PIECES OF CARPETING HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT EDGES TO BE JOINED WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOSLY MOVING EACH OF THE PIECES WITH SAID EDGES ADJACENT EACH OTHER, DURING THE TRAVEL OF SIAD PIECES CONTINUOUSLY WIPING SAID EDGES TO CLEAR PILE FORM BETWEEN THEM, RELATIVELY MOVING THE EDGES TOWARD EACH OTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THEIR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL TO BRING THEM INTO TIGHTLY ABUTTING RELATION, ALIGNING THE FACES OF THE PIECES ADJACENT SAID EDGES, THEREAFTER UNITING SAID TRAVELING SEPARATE PIECES BY CONTINUOUSLY APPLYING AN ADHESIVE AND A SEAMING TAPE TO THE BACKS OF SAID PIECES OVER SAID EDGES AND APPLYING HEAT AND PRESSURE TO SAID TAPE, AND CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING THE UNITED PIECES IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID EDGES. 